Mattress firmness should not be confused with support. An extra firm mattress and very soft pillow top mattress can both offer excellent support for proper body alignment and a quality night’s sleep, but their initial feel is different. Mattress firmness refers to the initial feel of a mattress, however there are many names associated with mattresses based on their upholstery styles and firmness. This firmness guide is meant to clarify some of the labeling, but it is very important to try the mattress before purchasing. For the most satisfaction and the best night’s sleep it’s important to find the right mattress. That involves lying on a mattress in-store to test it’s firmness and comfort level. Don’t make the mistake of purchasing based on the label without knowing if it’s comfortable for you! Extra Firm and Ultra Firm Mattresses – A firm coil system with compressed, firm upholstery layers. Extra Firm could be a good choice for sleepers that often lie on their back, but side sleepers should think twice before choosing an Extra Firm mattress.
Sleeping with your shoulder or arm in-between your body on an extra firm mattress can reduce circulation and cause a limb to go numb inhibiting a good night’s sleep. Extra, Extra Firm mattresses usually increase the rigidity of the coil system even further. Firm Mattresses – There are a variety of sub-types of firm mattresses that describe an “in-between” firm and soft mattress. However, a regular firm mattress usually has a thin upholstery layer of soft foam that softens the top of the mattress while the remaining upholstery is firmer foam to give the mattress a very solid, firm comfort-feel. This could be a good choice for those that sleep primarily on their back, as well as primarily stomach sleepers. Side sleepers should try a slightly softer mattress firm to make sure before purchasing a firm mattress. Plush Firms, Cushion Firms and Luxury Firm mattresses – Whatever the name, these are all in-between firm and soft. This is often a mattress that couples with differing comfort preference can compromise on.
It has soft enough upholstery to provide a comfortable sleeping surface for stomach, back, and side sleepers, without causing issues with numbness or lack of circulation. Plush Mattresses – These are soft mattresses with thicker upholstery layers for a softer initial feel to the mattress. Great for side sleepers and back sleepers. Stomach sleepers should avoid mattresses with thicker comfort layers to allow for proper spinal alignment, but many plush mattresses are not too thick. It’s also important to know what is in a soft, plush mattress. Many companies will produce mattresses with a ‘false loft’. Meaning they increase the thickness of the comfort layer with poor quality foams to provide a soft feel without the needed durability and support. Back To Bed provides mattresses with no filler foams, convoluted foams, and we hand-pick materials that have proven to be durable. Pillow Tops, Euro Tops, Plush Pillow Tops and Ultra Plush Mattresses – These mattresses can vary greatly in firmness.
These are usually the softest variety of mattresses with thick upholstery layers of softer materials, but the firmness of the foam inside will vary greatly. Euro tops are have a distinguishable top, but it is not stitched separately for a sleeker look, while pillow tops have a separately stitched top layer. Ultra Plush is like a plush, but with a much thicker upholstery layering making it look more like a pillow top. Again, it is very important to know what is in these mattresses. Many companies will produce mattresses with a false loft that increases it’s thickness, but not it’s quality level. you can shop by Firm Mattress, Plush Mattress, and Pillow Top Mattress. Please browse our selection of quality products. We highly encourage you to try before you buy! Back To Bed: Make Yourself Comfortable!Consumer Reports has updated our mattress Ratings, and the best we’ve tested provide plenty of support, resist bounciness, allow easy movement, and should last for many years before you need to replace it.
You won’t find scores for comfort in our Ratings; that’s an individual judgment. But here’s a look at some mattresses that did especially well in back and side support. If you sleep on your back Our tests for back support graph the spine’s natural curves for a range of adults, and then we record how consistently mattresses maintain that curve. Charles P. Rogers Powercore Estate 5000, $1,500 This innerspring isn’t the best choice if you occasionally roll over to your side, but it delivered better back support than any other innerspring—or foam bed—in our tests. We tested its firmness as medium. Spring Air Back Supporter Natalie, $1,200 Sold at Costco, this memory foam bed also wasn’t notably good for side sleepers, but for the back, it was impressive. The manufacturer claims the mattress is “ultra firm,” but we judged it as medium. Sleep Number i8 Bed, $3,000 Our testers judged this adjustable-air mattress, topped by foam, as soft.
But this and its lower-price sibling were among the very best at back support. With these, you can adjust firmness one half of the bed at a time—helpful if two sleep partners like a different feel. Sleep Number c2 Bed, $700 This adjustable-air mattress fared almost as well but for more than $2,000 less. One primary difference is this bed’s firm feel, likely because of the considerably thinner foam topping. Roll over now and then? Both these Sleep Number beds were impressive for side sleepers as well. If you sleep on your side For our side-sleeping test, we check how well a mattress keeps the spine relatively horizontal when someone is lying on his or her side. All three of our top picks for side sleepers also fared above-average at back support. No mattress, however, received our top score in this test. Serta Perfect Day iSeries Applause, $1,075 This innerspring has gotten a bit difficult to find, but it’s a winner if you can locate it. We judged it as medium, which apparently didn’t hurt in our tests;